RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability verifies the traceability of recycled plastics and their content in products within the assessed scope. It covers eligible downstream organisations, including converters, manufacturers and traders. A supplier certificate does not replace evidence for your own formulations, material flows and products.
What does a RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability certificate confirm?
A RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability certificate concerns the traceability of recycled plastics and the recycled content of the products assessed. It helps connect the origin of input materials with what a company actually manufactures or passes on through the supply chain.
The scheme is intended for organisations including compounders, converters, product manufacturers and traders that meet the applicable requirements. The official overview is available on the RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability page.
The customer's central question is: how do we know that the stated recycled-content percentage applies to the product we are ordering? Answering it requires links between supplier, production, warehouse and sales records. A general company statement about purchasing recyclate does not demonstrate those links.
Why is a supplier certificate not enough?
A supplier's document may confirm assessment of a particular input material. At the manufacturer's site, however, that material may be mixed with virgin plastic, colourant, filler or another batch. The buyer of the finished product needs information that reflects the resulting composition.
Calculation example: assume that a 100 kg component is produced with no losses and no internally returned material. The formulation uses 60 kg of material with documented recycled content of 80%, plus 40 kg of ingredients containing no recyclate. The first input contributes 48 kg of recycled material. The component therefore has 48% recycled content, rather than 60% or 80%.
This simplified example illustrates the difference between the quantity of raw material purchased and the recycled content of a product. An actual calculation must account for the applicable scope, composition and documented flows. Our article Is a supplier's RecyClass certificate enough? explains the role of input documentation.
What should be defined before certification?
First identify the subject of the claim. This may be a product, product family or component included in the assessment. A shared list of trade names, internal codes and names used in certification documents helps purchasing and sales teams work with consistent information.
- Inputs: which recycled materials are purchased, and from which suppliers?
- Activity: does the company compound, convert, manufacture or trade?
- Outputs: which product codes and sites should the assessment cover?
- Claim: what recycled-content percentage needs verification, and what exactly does it refer to?
If the organisation itself transforms waste into recycled material, the scope of Recycling Process certification also needs consideration. A single company may perform several operations, so scheme selection should follow an accurate description of those activities.
Traceability and audit evidence
Audit Scheme v2.2 covers supplier documentation, material identification, stock movements, production records, formulations and outputs. Pre-consumer and post-consumer origins are distinguished where applicable. Calculations require evidence beyond the word “recyclate” on an invoice.
The scheme also sets rules for recognition of supplier certificates and the phased fulfilment of requirements for certified inputs. Check the requirements applicable to your organisation's stage of certification. Do not assume that any supplier declaration will be sufficient.
Before the audit, try reconstructing a selected delivery from the sales invoice through the batch code and formulation to the raw materials used. Check the quantities separately: can the sales volume of that product be reconciled with purchases, consumption, inventory and production?
Internally returned material needs particular attention. Reusing offcuts does not automatically make them 100% recycled material, nor does it allow the same mass to be counted repeatedly. Our guide How to calculate recycled content explains the calculation principles.
How do you obtain and maintain the certificate?
The procedure includes an application to a recognised certification body, scope definition, submission of documentation, an audit and a certification decision. Nonconformities require appropriate action and assessment of effective closure. Details are provided in Quality Management & Procedures v2.2.
The certificate is valid for one year. The standard assessment requires 12 months of records. A provisional route is also available for a shorter history, normally using at least three months of data. Agree the applicable route before committing to a date for providing a certified claim to your customer.
After certification, assign responsibility for the register of products within scope, the validity of supplier documents and the reporting of changes. A new formulation or a different material source should trigger a check that the existing claim remains supported.
Frequently asked questions about Recycled Plastics Traceability
Does the certificate cover the company's entire product range?
Check the documented scope. A result covering specified products must not be extended to catalogue items that were not included in the assessment.
Does verified recycled content mean that packaging is recyclable?
These are separate questions. A product may contain recycled material while its design still requires a separate recyclability assessment. See our guide to the RecyClass certificate for packaging.
Can every production scrap material count as recyclate?
Its name alone is not enough. Establish the material's origin, status and use against the scheme's definitions. Offcuts and regrind returned to the same process need particularly careful consideration.
How much does certification cost?
For a quotation, provide the number of sites, a description of operations, product families and the complexity of material flows. These determine the assessment effort. The number of items in a price list does not, on its own, describe audit complexity.
How should you specify the requirement in a supplier enquiry?
Identify the exact product or component, the required recycled-content percentage and origin category, and the evidence you expect. Asking only for a “RecyClass certificate”, without defining the scheme and scope, may result in a document that answers a different question.
Discuss recycled-content certification with Almaland
Read about RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability certification and contact Almaland. Describe the materials you purchase, the products you manufacture or trade and the claim your customer needs verified.